


Heal me, I'll heal you

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 00:17:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20461907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: Not everyone is what they seem to be, and past has its way of coming back when you least expect it.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!   
This is the very first thing I have written in years, it started my whole journey with writing again.  
Enjoy! <3

Ethan Ramsey prided himself with being good at reading people. One glance in their direction and he knew what they were like, what driven them, how they treated others. What was their story. It’s always been that way and he was glad that it did. He wasn’t a social person really, so the fact that he could get to know what the person was like before he even talked to them was life-saving. He could avoid people who would exhaust him. It had its good days and bad days. Harper didn’t seem to be a manipulative person, yet here they were, her being his boss and still using their past relationship as a leverage to get her way. He knew there was something, he just brushed it aside, too infatuated with the image of her in his mind to care.

Then there is Clarissa. Clarissa Herondale. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure her out. It’s not that she is secretive. She is the most open person he knows. She’s talking to him almost every day, her being a constant part of his day, so much so that he feels as though his day isn’t full without her. He has a feeling that there is more to her than she’s letting on. There is something behind her smile and beautiful eyes. Normally, she’s talkative. Her family, her university, her friends, hometown. There are only a handful of subjects that she actively avoids. She made him talk about his relationship with Harper, it’s all out in the open. When it comes to her private life, she is like a closed book. Made of concrete. She’s never talking about it. He has no idea if she’s single, if she ever had a boyfriend. And as much as he wanted to know, he just couldn’t bring himself to ask, being too embarrassed probably.

She was an enigma. He wanted to figure her out. He just couldn’t do it if she refuses to be open with him.

That day started as any other. He got to the hospital, went to his office, put his lab coat on, got his coffee and went on with his day. No emergencies, no surprises. As the day was ending and he was heading in the direction of his office, he passed the sitting area next to ER. He didn’t mean to go there, but he caught the sight of dr Herondale in the corner of his eye. She was talking to three people, a couple in their 40s and a teenager, a family of a patient if he had to guess. Clarissa seemed to try to explain something to them. He started walking in their direction, hearing the end of her sentence.

“…he was in a car accident. He suffered from internal bleeding and a blow to his head, he stopped breathing, we brought him back, but he is unconscious and his state is critical, we have no idea when he’ll wake up. I’m sorry it…”

Before his brain had the opportunity to process what happened, a sickening slap ringed through the room. He looked from the lady to Clarissa only to see her cheek red, her own hand pressed against it and a single tear rolling down her face. He got between them, got Clarissa behind him, put his hand behind him to touch her hand for support and turned towards the woman.

“What is going on in here?” he asked, trying to keep his own emotions under wraps. The woman starts shouting, pointing her accusatory finger at Clarissa.

“It’s all your fault! He only wanted to talk, if you picked up your phone he wouldn’t have to drive, and he would not be in an accident. Nothing would have happened if only you would stop being so goddamn selfish!” she turned to her family. “Let’s go see our boy.”

They left, the mother turning her head to shoot Clarissa a dirty look before going through the door. Once they were gone, the woman next to him visibly let out air she’s been holding, her face fell, her arms slumped.

“Rookie, what happened here?” he asked, but she seemed to not have heard him. “Clarissa?” –he tried again, putting his hand on her arm and running it up and down to provide some comfort. At that she turned her head to him, her cheek still red and tears threatening to fall. He let his hand rest on her cheek, swiping the tear and looked into her eyes. She avoided his gaze.

“Nothing, everything is fine” she took a step back, looking around to see if anyone noticed the scene. No one did, thankfully.

“Are you sure? Do you want to talk? How are you feeling?” he refused to let it go, something was up.

She takes another step back.

“Thanks for your concern but I’m fine, really. I have to go, bye” she goes past him, not looking at him, not reacting to his calling, almost running.

After that, she starts actively avoiding him. Every time he tries to talk to her she changes the direction in which she’s going, doesn’t let him talk about anything not work related. This goes on for two weeks. It’s killing him, something is clearly wrong, he just wishes he could help her.

He is walking through the hall of the hospital, his shift finished, ready to get home, when he hears an argument. He goes to check it out, looks through the door to see what is going on.

Inside he sees Clarissa standing next to the bed of a man, he’s standing next to her, they are arguing. That’s when it happens. He grabs her arm, so hard that she screams, tears falling down her cheeks, her face twist in a grimace of pain and fear. She says something, he isn’t sure what, but it upsets the patient, because the next thing he knows, his fist connects with her face. Ethan bursts into the room, both turning in his direction. Clarissa’s face pales, as though he saw something he shouldn’t…

“What is going on in here?” he demanded, his shoulders squared, his face hard, shooting knives with his eyes at the patient. He moved to get to Clarissa, laying on the floor, clutching her face. He crouched next to her, took her arm in his hands to help her stand up, got her out of the room without so much as looking or speaking to the patient. He informed the security of the situation, told them to call the police and let them to do their job.

He guided her to his office, sat her down on the couch and locked the door. He got her an ice pack for her cheek and sat down next to her, pressing it to her face. She avoids his gaze, biting her lip and keeping her head low.

“Do you want to tell me what is going on? I’m worried about you.” he took her hand in his, running his thumb over her palm. “You know you can trust me, right?”

She finally looked into his eyes. What he saw there felt like a punch to the stomach. He saw her fear, her exhaustion, her sadness. He moved his hand to touch her cheek only to have her flinch at the movement. He was horrified. Has the man abused her? Have they known each other before?

“I don’t want to talk about it. Not here anyway.”

“Do you want me to drive you home?

“No, I cannot go there. Not yet. They know something is up and I don’t feel like explaining it to them”

Ethan was lost. If she didn’t want to talk here, not her home, then where? Unless…

“Would you mind me taking you home with me? If you want a breather that is.” he asked quietly, his cheeks taking on a red color. She laughed, first time he heard that sound in weeks and nodded.

“Sure, but only if you have tea. And food” she teased, bumping her shoulder against his, a smirk on her lips.

“Okay. Let me get changed and grab my car keys.” he said, standing up and walking towards the side of the room. He took his lab coat off, hanging it on a hook on the wall and put on his sweater. He then turned and crossed the room to his desk to gather his car keys, a phone and a calendar. Then he came back to her, extended his hand to pull her up and smiled. “Okay, let’s go.”

She took his hand and stood up. Her face got back some of that natural light she carried with her everywhere she goes. He locked the door to his office and they headed towards the parking lot, talking quietly. He opened the door for her, then went around the car to get in the driver’s seat. He started the car and, sure enough, classical music began playing. He looked over to her to see her smiling softly. She then looked at him, both of them blushing. He drove towards his apartment, looking in her direction every now and then. They made a small talk, conversation subjects varying from animals to favorite places on Boston. Suddenly she fell silent. He looked over to see what happened. She was clenching her hands together, clearly thinking about something unpleasant. He reached over to grab one of her hands, locking their fingers. She looked at him, surprised, but said nothing.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets come out in an honest conversation as the night falls.

They pulled up to his apartment, he got out of the car and before she could react, he opened her door and took her hand to help her get out. He closed the door, locked the car and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her inside. After opening the door he got her coat and guided her to the living room, then went to look through the kitchen to see what they could eat. He decided on a pasta with beef and vegetables. He began preparing it, his thoughts running wild. Who was the patient? How does she know him? Why did he hit her?

He was so in his head that he didn’t hear her coming behind him. She stood next to him and watched him work.

“I didn’t know you could cook.” she said, surprised, looking at his hands cutting the meat into smaller pieces.

“There are a lot of things about me that you don’t know” he smirked at her and then went back to work. She looked at him, amused, and sat down on a chair in the kitchen, watching him work. It was so weird, looking at him and not seeing him tense. He was completely relaxed, at ease, no trouble in his posture. She decided she liked him like that.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting on his couch, eating and watching TV, neither really paying any attention to it. They kept sneaking glances at each other, blushing when the other noticed.

When they finished he grabbed their dishes, put them in the dishwasher and got them some tea, bringing it to the couch along with some blankets.

“So…” he started, not really sure what he was supposed to say. She looked down on her tea cup, deep in thoughts. He put his finger on her chin to lift her face do he could look into her eyes. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, you know that, right?”

“No…I want to. Really, I do. It’s just…I’m afraid.” she stated. He was confused. Afraid of what?

“Afraid of…me?” he asked, his voice quiet but his eyes never leaving hers. She shook her head vigorously, placing her hand on his cheek as though she wanted to reassure him.

“No. No, no, no, it’s not that. I’m not afraid of you. I’m just…afraid of what you’ll think of me when you know the truth…” she spoke quietly, her head falling down again. He looked at her with a shock written all over his face.

“Nothing you say will change what I think of you. You know I’m not like that.” he told her, encouraging her to speak when she’s ready.

“Two years ago…I was out with my friends, we were celebrating passing one of the exams. That’s when I met Lucas…”

“The asshole I met today, right? he interrupted, a grimace on his face.

“Yes, that’s him. We started hanging out as friends. He was nice, smart and funny. He eventually asked me out and we started dating. His family never seemed to accept me, the only person I had a decent relationship with was his younger sister, Amanda. We were okay for a couple of months. One day, I had a party at my friend’s house and he couldn’t go so I went alone. I had fun with my friends and went home. He was already there, accusing me of cheating on him, even though nothing had happened. That’s when it first happened. He hit me” – at that she flinched. His hands curled into fists, overcame with rage, but as soon as he looked at her his anger disappeared. She looked so broken, that look on her face was sure to be etched into his mind forever.

“I didn’t know what to do. He proceeded to shout at me, saying stuff about how no one will ever want me so I really had no choice but to stay with him. And , being stupid, I believed it. I stayed with him. And he continuously hit me. He did it for six months. Six months of him hitting me and me not reacting. I thought that nothing worse could happen. But I was wrong. One day he went out with his friends. Came to my house. Drunk. He wanted to get me in bed, I didn’t. He tried to make me do it. That was the last straw. I smacked his head with a flowerpot and threw him out. Never talked to him again. He tried to contact me, tried to apologize, so did his family, but I’ve had enough. I’ve cut all contact with them and pretended they never existed. That is, until two weeks ago. And today…well, I was doing a check up on him when he started saying how he knew I would come back to him, how he was the only one who would want a piece of trash like me. When I said I never want to see him again, that he disgusts me…well, you saw the rest yourself.” she finished, biting her lip nervously, not daring to look at him. She didn’t want to see it in his eyes. The disgust. The pity.

What he did next surprised tremendously. Before she could comprehend what was happening, she had a strong pair of arms around her, pulling her to his chest, one hand smoothing her hair to provide some comfort. She could feel the tears coming but there was nothing she could do to stop them. So she just let them flow. She let them cleanse her.

He sat there, holding her in his arms with absolutely no intention of letting go anytime soon, her tears soaking his sweater and shirt but he was okay with that. He was okay with anything, as long as she was safe and sound. His hand tangling in her hair, the other one around her waist, whispering sweet nothings to her ear.

“If only I’ve known sooner…I would have taken you off the case…” he murmured, beating himself over it, not believing that something so huge was right in front of his eyes and he couldn’t see it. She heard him and raised her head to look into his eyes.

“No. No you would have not. I would not let you. It’s not how it’s supposed to work. I have to be immune to this, I have to learn not to mix my work with my private life.” she started rambling, words flowing out of her mouth like from the machine. Ethan took her hands into his and raised them to his mouth to kiss them.

“You don’t always have to be strong. It’s okay to be vulnerable, you know?” he said looking into her eyes. He saw a flicker of hope, a small smile forming on her lips. She hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder, his arms around her.

“Thank you, Ethan. For listening, I mean. It’s the first time ever that anyone wanted to know the story and I really needed to let it all out.” she took a sip of her tea, her attention on the clock. It read 12:04 AM.

“It’s really late. We should probably get some sleep if we want to be able to get any work done tomorrow.” she said, looking at him. He had his arm draped over the back of the couch, looking relaxed and at ease. He nodded, standing up.

“I have a spare room, I’ll go prepare your bed. The bathroom is right through the door and on the right is my room if there was anything you may need.” he said, taking their empty tea cups and placing them in the dishwasher.

They went their separate ways, she headed towards the bathroom. It was quite large, light walls and wooden elements made the room warm. She got ready for bed and by the time she left the bathroom, Ethan was nowhere to be seen, probably in his room already. She didn’t want to interrupt him so she went straight to her room.

The room was done in a similar style as the bathroom and the rest of the apartment. Walls were light, wooden floor and wooden furniture, a lamp near the bed. She got into bed, turned off the lights and fell asleep.


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares haunt him, more secrets see the darkness of the night, and decisions are made.

She was woken up a few hours later. It was still dark outside, the clock read 3.45 AM. What woke her was a terrifying scream rippling through the walls of the apartment. She shot out of bed, running out the door, searching for the source of the screams. She turned towards Ethan’s room. She opened the door and turned on the small light by the door. There, in the middle of bed, was Ethan, still asleep, trashing around and screaming, deeply immersed into the nightmare he was having. Tears were falling down his face, his hands were gripping the sheets, knuckles white from the force. She stepped forward, calling his name, trying to wake him up without startling him but to no avail.

She sat down next to him and put her hand on his arm, shaking him slightly and calling his name again.

“Ethan, wake up. Ethan…” she tried again, touching his cheek delicately. This seemed to snap him out of his vision, he stopped trashing, his eyes slowly opening to see what was happening. When his eyes locked with hers, he didn’t hesitate to pull her to him, hugging her closely to his body like she was his lifeboat, like she was his only salvation, his face pressed to her neck, breathing her in. She stroked his hair, whispering soft words of comfort into his ear. She held him, letting him calm down before she leaned back a little to look at his face. Tears were no longer falling down his cheeks but there were still a few of them lingering there. She swiped her thumbs to brush them away, taking his face in her hands, making him look at her. She saw everything she needed to know in them. He was terrified, something was deeply rooted inside of him, some primal fear, something that has haunted him for years.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, rubbing her thumbs on his cheeks delicately. He snuggled his face into her hand, closing his eyes for a moment. He took a deep breath before he started talking.

“This is a story from my childhood…” he started, his voice soft and quiet, laced with emotion.

“Oh…you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Really, it’s okay” she said, looking at him.

“No…you shared your story with me, I might as well share mine. So, when I was young, my Mom, my Father and me were living in a small house on the outskirts of Philadelphia. My Mom is one of the greatest women I’ve ever met…” he trailed off, looking at Clarissa, a small smile forming on his lips before he resumed speaking. – “We were just a normal family, nothing too special. My Father was working and my Mom was staying at home with me. I had friends, not many, just a few of close ones, but I knew other kids. There was this one kid whose parents were constantly arguing, shouting and fighting. I never payed much attention to it, thought it never concerned me. So I lived through my life, up until I was fifteen. I was coming back from the library a little late. I came home and heard screams. I entered the living room just to see my father hitting my Mom. He was shouting, saying that she’s never going to find anyone else to love her, that she’s worthless, that she should be grateful that he has been with her this long…I couldn’t take it. I stormed in and punched him in the face. Threw him out the door and locked it. Then I looked at my Mom and for the first time ever I saw her. Really saw her. She had multiple bruises all over her body. I never saw them before, she was probably hiding them from me. That night she told me that he’s been doing this to her for ten years. She didn’t leave him because she wouldn’t be able to provide for both of us without the money from my father. She put up with beating and abuse for ten years for me. I knew I had to do something. Something to help her, something to let her get away from this monster. I was supposed to be an accountant, like my father. But I was never that into it. I preferred helping people. That was the moment I decided to try myself in medicine. Clearly, it worked out. But most importantly, it helped my Mom get on her own two feet. Now she’s safe and happy, away from the monster I used to call my father…” he stopped talking, deep in thoughts. She hugged him tighter, tears falling down her face, crying for the little boy inside of him.

“Oh Ethan…I’m so sorry you both had to endure it. I can only imagine…” she was interrupted by him sitting up to look at her, his eyes red but determined.

“No. That’s not why I had a nightmare. That’s not what I saw tonight.” he said through clenched teeth, his eyes dropping to his hands.

“Then what did you see?” she asked, concerned, taking his hands in hers.

“I saw you.” he admitted, not looking up to meet her eyes.

“Me?” she asked incredulously, shock taking over her face.

“Yes. You. After what I saw today at the hospital... after what you told me when we were here…it all came back rushing to me. When I found out what my father has been doing, I swore to do anything to not let anyone else suffer like my mother had to if I could help it. I’m good at reading people, Clarissa. Normally I can see right through them. But with you…it just doesn’t work. I look at you and see…nothing.” he said, looking at her.

“Nothing…?” – she said, her voice laced with hurt. She started to pull away when he realized his mistake. He quickly grabbed her arm gently to keep her from running away.

“No! Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant is that when I look at you I cannot figure out what is going on in that head of yours. I never know what you think, what you feel… I never would have guessed that something so horrible has happened to you. To someone so strong and smart and loyal to people she cares about… That’s what upset me. I saw it happen with my mother, I thought I could recognize the victim when I saw one. But you… you are a secret. I didn’t know. And I didn’t think. I should have done something more. Maybe today’s situation could have been avoided. I’ll never forgive myself for letting him hurt you. I’ll kill him if I have to, he’s never going to lay a finger on you. I promise.” he said sincerely, his hands resting on her cheeks softly.

“I don’t want you to kill him. He’s not worth it.” she told him, her face turning towards his left hand.

“We should get some sleep. I’m sorry for waking you up.” Ethan said, his hands dropping to his lap, his fingers barely touching hers.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I’m happy I could be here for you. thank you for sharing the story with me. I appreciate it. I’ll let you sleep. Goodnight.” she smiled softly, standing up to head back to her room when his hand shot out and grabbed hers, making her turn around in confusion.

“Do you think you could…sleep here tonight?” he said quietly, then immediately shook his head and added “Sorry, that was not right, I should not have asked you that.”

“Don’t be sorry, no harm is done.” she said, turning around towards the door. She didn’t see the way his face fell when she did. Ethan was ready to have to battle his demons on his own again, when he saw her turn off the lights at the door and turn back around, coming back to his bed, pulling back the cover and getting in bed next to him. His face lit up with shock and happiness.

“Wha…” he didn’t get to finish the sentence.

“You can’t possibly mean to tell me we were going to sleep with lights on, do you?” she said with a smirk on her face, laying down and looking at him. He laid down, facing her. Silence took over, neither of them daring to speak and break the spell. Their faces were so close to each other’s that he could feel the air she was breathing on his cheeks.

They were looking into each other’s eyes. In the dim light provided by a single lamp on the street he could take a closer look at her face. She had purple bags under her eyes, probably from not sleeping because of work and because of that asshole. Her skin was smooth, she had a few freckles on her cheeks and nose, her lips were almost full and, he noticed, a little asymmetrical in the top part of her upper lip. She was beautiful, both inside and outside.

He couldn’t point exactly when they fell asleep. What he knew for sure was that when he woke up he felt something warm pressed against his chest. He opened his eyes to see Clarissa, sleeping, her arm thrown over his stomach, her head on his chest, his own arms tightly wrapped around her. He felt her stir, slowly waking up, taking in her surroundings and realizing the position they were in, she slowly sat up, looked around before setting her eyes on him. Their eyes locked, neither of them saying anything. She smiled at him.

“What time is it?” she asked, looking around for a clock. He took his watch from the nightstand to check.

“It’s 7.30 AM. We still have plenty of time to get ready. Would you like some coffee?” he asked her, sitting up.

“That would be lovely, thank you” she smiled and stood up, heading towards the bathroom. He followed her with his eyes. He then stood up, got dressed and went to the kitchen to make some breakfast and coffee. When she entered the kitchen, the food was ready and coffee was brewing.

“Your cooking is really good. Didn’t take you for a type of a man to cook.” she said once she finished eating. He smiled at her.

“I learned how to cook when I kicked out my father. My Mom was working so she didn’t have time to cook. I learned to help her, even if only a little. As you can see, it’s proven to be helpful.” he added with a grin, looking at her. They both stood up to clean the dishes, standing next to each other, tiding up the surface. She was finishing cleaning the counter when she felt him press himself against her back, reaching for his coffee. Her breath caught in her throat, so did his, neither of them moving, frozen in place. He let go of the cup, leaning backwards, allowing her to turn around, facing him, her back pressed against the counter. They stared into each other’s eyes, leaning forward simultaneously, both completely unaware that they were doing so until their lips were millimeters apart, they were breathing the same air.

They both made the decision at the same time. His lips touched hers, softly and hesitantly, testing the waters, seeing if she’d pull away. But she didn’t. Instead, she pressed her lips to his a little harder, giving him a sign and waiting. He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him, her fingers tangling in his hair, stroking it softly. They kissed, savoring the moment of peace and silence before pulling away to catch breath, still entangled in each other’s arms. They opened their eyes at the same time, their gazes met and big smiles formed at both of their faces.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to do this” he said, hugging her, burying his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. Her fingers were running through his hair.

“Oh, trust me, I do. Because I’ve been waiting equally long” she said with a smile lacing her voice.

“I’m happy you let me be there for you yesterday.” Ethan said, his voice sincere, his forehead resting on hers, eyes closed. She leaned back to look into his eyes.

“I’m glad I got to be there for you tonight. Today. And hopefully tomorrow.” she told him, staring into his eyes.

“I’m so thankful I’ve found you. It feels as though my whole life I had my eyes closed, not seeing the world for what it was. You opened my eyes.” he said, holding her closer to him, a bright smile taking other his features. She kissed him on the cheek.

“Come on. We have to get to my apartment.” she said, pulling his hand.

“Your apartment? Why?” he asked, clearly lost. She laughed, shaking her head.

“I need to take a shower and get changed before work. Besides, it gives you plenty of time to think about our strategy.” she smirked, snaking her hands around his waist.

“Strategy?” he asked again, not really getting where she was going with this.

“Well, I can’t possibly imagine both of us entering the hospital holding hand, kissing each other and hugging, right? Not at work, not near Harper or anyone who could think about you being not objective with picking the top intern.” she said, her face soft but her tone straightforward. He nodded, kissing her forehead.

“Ah, yes. Strategy. Let’s call it that for now.” – he smiled at her, a true smile, his posture relaxed. He opened the door for her. “Shall we?” – he asked, extending his hand for her to take.

“Let’s do this” she said, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his.


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Distractions and flowers fill their days as they adjust to the new reality.

The moment he realized he had feeling for Claire, he knew it wouldn’t be easy. For both of them, it would mean that they would have to sneak around, hide their emotions, keep their reactions as neutral as possible.

He didn’t really put much thought into it, mostly because he was convinced that she didn’t feel the same way. He didn’t know what would happen if she did. That thought excited him and at the same time terrified him. He was fairly confident that he could control himself. That’s what he’s been doing his whole life, right?

Wrong.

It was the small things at first. Favors for one another, coffee, help with Naveen. Then came the touches, her hands on his knees and hands, his hands on her arms. Then they started spending more time together due to her being the number one intern and their cases being the same.

And then that situation with Lucas. He still couldn’t believe that this asshole failed to see what an amazing woman Claire was, how beautiful and compassionate and brave she was. He helped her and he was glad he did. He learned the full story, he knew what was happening in her brain.

And then this morning happened. They kissed. He never thought that would happen. That was the best kiss he ever had. Her perfume took over his mind, making him dizzy with emotions, her body close to his, providing comfort.

They entered the hospital separately that day, both going off to their respectful duties. And his mind kept wandering towards her. All day, she was in the back of his head, making it almost impossible to fully concentrate on anything that wasn’t urgent.

They passed each other in the halls a couple of times, sending soft smiles and heated looks with their eyes.

At some point they were together with a patient, discussing his case and possible treatment plans. She stood next to him, leaning a little to point out something in his chart with her fingers. He reached over the paper and discretely locked their pinky fingers together for a short moment.

As the day went on, they found it a little easier to be around each other and not express their emotions, but the second they were left alone their minds would reach out, the vision of their faces before their eyes.

The next couple of days were quite normal, he would see her only briefly, having so many things to do that he didn’t even have time to eat most of the times.

On day five of their little secret he was sitting in his office, restless. He couldn’t seem to focus on anything, the more he tried the more frustrated he got and gave up on the task altogether. He was stressed and in need of a distraction.

He stood up abruptly and ran out of his office, locking the door behind him.

It just so happened that Claire was entering the storage room and, judging from the fact that she had to turn the lights on, it was empty. He looked around cautiously before going in after her, locking the door behind him. She turned around at that sound and jumped when she saw him staring at her.

“Ethan! Oh my god, what are you doing here?” she exclaimed but kept her voice down, not wanting to attract anyone’s attention. He approached her slowly, backing her into the wall, blocking her from any movement.

“I have a bad day. Nothing is the way it’s supposed to be, I cannot focus on anything. You think you can help me with that?” they were dangerously close to each other, breathing the same air.

“Fight distraction with a distraction… I can certainly help you with that.” She smiled coyly before placing her hands on his face and pulling him close.

He’s been waiting to kiss her again for the last five days so the second their lips touched he groaned, his voice deep, pressing her harder against the wall, pinning her hands above her head. His other hand wandered down her body to her waist, her hips, her legs and back up to her face.

The sudden crash down the hall startled them both, breaking the kiss and hurrying to make themselves presentable.

“Maybe a storage room isn’t the best place to be doing this?” she smiled at him as she ran her fingers through his hair, trying to put it back in place at least a little bit.

“You’re right. Dinner at my place, tonight?” he offered.

“Absolutely. See you there, _dr. Ramsey_.” She winked at him teasingly and went out the door, leaving Ethan alone again but with a much calmer mind. So much so that he was able to finish all his tasks and he managed to get his point through at the meeting with Harper and a few directors from the hospital.

They saw each other again that evening, greeting her at the door with a tight hug before leading her to the kitchen, sitting her down on the chair and fixing her a glass of wine, finishing their dinner. Jenner stood up to greet her, sitting down by her legs while she pet him, meanwhile telling Ethan about her day and a difficult patient she had to deal with, not wanting to disclose any of her personal information and then not wanting to agree on any treatment, and then demanding that she went home even though she could barely walk, calling Claire names and accusing her of threatening her life with her diagnosis.

After dinner they went for a walk in his neighborhood. He wanted to show her the gorgeous view from the hill nearby, overlooking the big water and the beach.

“It’s beautiful here. You come here often?” she asked, wrapping her arms around him to hide from the cold air of the evening. He pulled her closer before replying.

“Not as often as I’d like. It’s quiet here. Peaceful. My favorite place to unwind and recharge. You are the first person I shared this with.”

“Okay, now I’m feeling special.” Her laughter got carried by the wind.

“You should. Because you are special.” He kissed her cheek before taking her hand and guiding her to the more secluded part of the park, where the trees and flowers were still in fool bloom, despite the temperatures slowly dropping. He reached over towards one of the trees, a bunch of big, white and pink flowers growing out of its branches. His fingers traced the delicate petals before picking one of the flowers and pulling towards him, a piece of nature in his hand.

Ethan then guided his hand to her head, tucking the flower behind her ear, taking some of her hair along with it, away from her face.

“There. A flower for my woman.” He whispered directly into her ear, sending soft shivers down her spine.

“It’s beautiful, Ethan. Thank you.” a pink blush appeared on her cheeks.

“Almost as beautiful as you.” their eyes locked and suddenly it was as though the distance between them was the biggest offense to them and to the entire universe.

His arms reached out for her, her arms pulled him in by his neck, and their lips _crushed_ together with bruising force, but neither seemed to mind that. The need to feel one another so close was overwhelming.

Claire tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling on it, bringing him even closer, while moving back towards one of the pink trees, her back hitting the wood with quite a big force, yet she didn’t care. But he did.

“Claire? Are you oka-“

Her lips smashed against his again, making the most of their time together, alone as they could be in their current circumstances. His hands trailed a path from her thighs, up her sides, until they reached her face, cupping both of her cheeks, caressing her face, a smile on his face. It was her turn to break away.

“What is it?” he shrugged his shoulders before speaking.

“I’ve never been good at this. At relationships. Never really wanted to try, but you changed that. You changed _me_. You’re brightening up my days with your smile, and when you look at me like you do now, I feel like everything is possible.” He kissed her cheek, then hugged her, their temples touching for a long moment. They took their time to just _be._

After a few more moments he took her hand and guided them to his car, taking her home before her roommates become suspicious.

They shared one last kiss before she went home, looking over her shoulder to wave at him and entering her apartment building. He drove off and got ready to get some sleep, laying down in his bed and thinking about how she was changing him.

“Clarissa Herondale and her effect” he thought to himself with a smile and drifted off to sleep.


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happiness can't be everlasting.

Ethan felt like the happiest man alive. Clarissa and he were dating for the past three months. They had to keep it a secret, they both decided it would be best to do so, especially given the fact that the competition was still going. But last week, the final results came in and the winner was announced. To his surprise (seriously, he never thought that would happen with Harper being herself) Clarissa won. They were working together, their relationship was going strong. The risk of someone holding them accountable for being in a relationship lowered with each day. Meanwhile they were sharing the moments in between. Stolen kisses in his office, long walks in the park, morning coffee…

At work they were Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Herondale, but when they were alone, they were Ethan and Claire. He didn’t like when she called him dr. Ramsey outside of work, it made him uncomfortable for the most part. He still called her Rookie but it has become more of a term of endearment more than anything else.

“I don’t like it when you call me Dr. Ramsey outside of the hospital. I’m Ethan. You know that.” he said one evening, they were sitting in a restaurant, his hand on hers, stroking her fingers absentmindedly.

“I know, but it’s so much fun to tease you from time to time” she answered cheekily, taking hold of his hand.

“Promise me you won’t call me Dr. Ramsey when we’re alone, Claire. Please” he said in a low voice, looking seriously at her.

“Okay. If it’s that important to you then fine. Ethan it is.” she kissed his cheek and they went back to eating their desserts.

They talked. A lot in fact. She finally opened up to him about her private life. He found out she had two boyfriends prior to him, including that asshole. They talked about their families, friends and college. He told her more about Harper, the memory of that particular conversation was buried deep in his mind and it didn’t seem as though it would disappear soon.

“Thank you…for sharing it with me. You didn’t have to.” she said when he was done, a small smile on her face as she looked at him.

“We did say “no secrets”, remember?” he said with a teasing smile, circling his arms around her.

“Promise me” she said, running her fingers through his hair.

“Promise what?” he murmured, their noses touching.

“That everything between you and Harper is done and over with. That there will be no surprises in that matter.” she said seriously, looking deeply into his blue eyes.

“I promise. It’s been over for a very long time, nothing left. You don’t have to worry about it” his grip on her tightened, his lips touching hers, softly at first, then more confidently, pulling her to his lap, burying one hand in her hair while the other went around her waist more securely.

\-----

Their shifts have ended, they met by the nurse’s desk. He spoke in a low voice to avoid anyone hearing them.

“What do you say we grab some food on the go and get to my apartment?” he asked, pretending to be looking at a chart she was holding.

“Sounds good to me.” she answered, a hint of smile on her lips.

“Great. Let me swing by my office and grab my stuff. Meet you by my car?” he said, getting ready to turn around.

“Yup. See you there!” she winked and went in the opposite direction. He went to his office, gathered what he needed and went to the parking lot. When he approached the car he saw Clarissa waiting for him there. But she was not alone. Standing next to her was Lucas, towering over her as she took a step back. He started waking faster, trying to reach her as fast as possible without it looking too suspicious to the onlookers. He caught a glimpse of their conversation.

“… and I told you I don’t ever want to see you again. Besides, I’m seeing someone new.” she said, trying to keep her voice calm despite the tempest in her head.

“Someone new huh? And just who could it be? Who would want you?” he snickered, looking at her with pity.

“Is everything okay in here?” he stepped in, standing next to Claire, his eyes carried concern.

“Is it him? Is that who you are screwing?” Lucas asked, mockery in his voice.

“So what if it’s him? That’s none of your goddamn business.” she shot back, trying to keep a neutral face as much as she could.

“Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into? She’s a horrible person. She’s rude and obnoxious and loud. Do you know we almost went to bed together? We were interrupted by our neighbors but it would have happened. She was practically begging for it…” – he begun talking. Ethan saw Claire in the corner of his eye, her head shaking from side to side, her face a picture of horror.

“…she was o her knees, begging me to…” he never had the chance to finish that sentence. Ethan couldn’t take him anymore and before he knew what he was doing, his fist connected with the jaw of a young man, making him step back a few steps. He didn’t wait for him to recover from the blow, he took Claire by her hand and guided her towards his car, got her in and drove away.

The car ride was silent. Neither of them daring to say a word. They entered his apartment, she went to the bathroom and he ordered some food. When she came back to the kitchen, their eyes met. In a second they were in each other’s arms, clinging to the other like they were afraid they would disappear. He stroked her hair, she ran her hands up and down his back.

“I’m sorry you had to witness this.” she said, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

“You don’t have to be sorry. You know I’m here for you, I want to be able to help.” he told her, his grip on her tightened.

“You really didn’t have to hit him. Aren’t you going to have problems because of this?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.

“I don’t mind. Someone had to put that bastard in his place. It just so happened to be a very concerned boyfriend.” he said, a smirk appearing on his face. She smiled softly, taking his face into her hands.

“Thank you. For saving me, yet again.” she kissed his cheek, his nose, his forehead and finally, his lips. He reacted immediately, arms going around her and lifting her slightly of the ground, a low sound escaping his lips. He started guiding them towards the couch when the doorbell ringed and sufficiently separated them. He had a disappointed look on his face, at which she just giggled and kissed his cheek, going to open the door and grab their food.

\-----

The next day, they arrived at the hospital, shared a kiss in the car and both went their separate ways. It was a long day, many complicated cases, lots of complaining patients and families, nagging him to tell them more than he knew. Around noon he got a message on his pager, from none other then Chief Emery herself. She asked to meet him in one of the rooms in the west wing. He went there, reluctantly, he had his patients to take care of and he didn’t really feel like talking to her altogether.

He entered the room and left them almost closed. She was already there.

“A man who was our patient came to me yesterday. He said you punched him in the face over something irrelevant. Care to explain?” she asked, her voice flat and emotionless, but her eyes had a weird glint to them.

“He’s not innocent if that’s what is concerning you.” he said, avoiding to look at her.

“It doesn’t sound like you, Ethan. What was it?” she said, taking a step closer to him. He took a step back.

“I was walking to my car when I saw him harassing Cla…Dr. Herondale.” he cut himself off before her name could escape his mouth. Harper’s eyebrow shot up.

“And why would you mingle into her business?” she asked, taking another step in his direction.

“She is one of our doctors and she was clearly in an unpleasant situation, she looked scared. I couldn’t stand by and watch her get harassed.” he said, his words coming out a little fast and a little blurred, clear sign he was nervous.

“Oh Ethan…” she took one final step, standing directly in front of him. She put her hands on his face, their eyes met. He wants to step away but couldn’t, she had him cornered by the wall.

“You know it’s none of your business, right? You don’t always have to be a hero…” her words trailed and before he knew what was happening, her lips were on his, her hands keeping him in place. He couldn’t move if he tried.

Suddenly they heard a loud crash coming form behind the door. She let him go, both turning their heads to search for the source of the noise. Sure enough, at the door was no other than Clarissa Herondale, her face pale, her eyes wide, her hands in a weird position, as though she was carrying something and dropped it. She sure did that, there were plastic containers on the ground. She snapped out of a state o shock, gathered her things, threw a “sorry” and ran in the opposite direction.


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of an accident, can everything be mended?

Everything in Ethan was screaming. She saw the kiss, there was no doubt about it. She saw them, she saw… He turned towards Harper.

“What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted, his face twisting with anger.

“Ethan…” she tried, her hand reaching over to touch him. He stepped backwards.

“No. Don’t “Ethan” me here. You and I are over. You know that. It’s about goddamn time you started to respect that.” he said, his whole body trembling with anger and despair. She was never going to forgive him. Harper had a look of disbelief on her face.

“Is that what you really want? Think about it long and hard, because once you make your decision, there is no going back.” she warned.

“I don’t want to be in a relationship with you. You’re my boss. That’s all you are. A boss. Maybe a friend if you stop acting like that.” – he waved his hand towards the wall. She nodded her head, her eyes hard.

“If that’s what you want then fine. So be it.” she spun around on her heel and left the room. He was alone. His mind was screaming. He knew he had to find her. Had to try to explain what happened. Had to beg her for forgiveness. Apologize for not being more firm with Harper, for not foreseeing her doing something like this.

He began searching for her but every time he found her, she turned in the opposite direction. She was avoiding him. He knew he screwed up. Now he had to figure out how to make it up to her.

Throughout the day he saw her multiple times. It got to the point of him following her. How ironic, the tables have turned. He was chasing after her, not the other way around. He saw her enter the supply closet and saw his chance to finally get her alone.

He entered the room, looking around to see if there was anybody else besides them. They were alone. He locked the door behind him. That got her attention. She froze when she saw him, her gaze falling to the floor. He took a hesitant step towards her.

“Let me explain.” he started, sounding desperate.

“I don’t want to hear it.” she said, not looking at him. He took another step towards her. She took a step back, looking uncomfortable.

“Please. I’m begging you. It’s not what it looked like” he tried again; she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Ramsey, but I can’t help you.” she said, not meeting his gaze.

“You promised me you would call me Ethan when it’s just the two of us.” he said, the pain in his voice evident.

“And you promised me that there is nothing between you and Dr. Emery.” she whispered and finally looked into his eyes. All he saw was pain. So much pain. And it was all because of him.

“Please. Let me explain. It really isn’t what it seems. I promise.” he begged again, but she wasn’t going to let him do it.

“I’m sorry. I’m not strong enough for this.” she said and he didn’t get to say anything else, she grabbed what she was looking for and ran out of the room, leaving him there, standing in the supply closet, alone yet again.

For the rest of the day he was quiet and even more rude to other people. He was praying for the day to be over. When he finally went home, he couldn’t do anything. He went to the kitchen to grab some wine and began drinking.

\---------

Clarissa was miserable. She thought Ethan and her were going steady. She should have known he would tire of her eventually. He was older, much more successful than her, his ex was the chief of the hospital. She was no one compared to her. For the next five days she didn’t see him, she was glad. She didn’t know if she had it in her to look at him and see him with her. After sixth day she got suspicious, she didn’t see him anywhere, which was weird, given the fact that they were working in the same part of the hospital.

She was at the nurse’s desk when Harper Emery herself approached her, a concerned look on her face.

“Dr. Herondale, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yes, is it something important?” she answered, not wanting to seem rude, it’s her boss after all, but she really didn’t want to speak to the woman.

“Have you seen Dr. Ramsey?” she said.

“Why would I know where he is?” she said, annoyed. Shouldn’t she be the one to know where he was?

“You two seemed really close lately so I assumed…” she trailed off, looking at her.

“Shouldn’t you be the one to know where he is? Given the fact that you two are back together?” she asked, her eyes avoiding the eyes of the other woman.

“Me? No. What gave you this impression?” she wondered, surprised.

“I saw you two…you know… so I just assumed…” she really didn’t want to finish that sentence.

“Oh no. Ethan was furious. He shouted at me for doing this. We are definitely through.” she said.

“Wait… did you say, “what YOU did”?” she asked, not sure if she understood correctly.

“Ah, you don’t know what happened, do you? Well, you should ask him. Just know that we are not together. In fact, I very much believe he is infatuated with you. No matter how it makes me feel… you two would be good for each other.” she said and with that she left.

Clarissa didn’t exactly understand what happened. If he wasn’t avoiding her and he wasn’t back with Harper, and she didn’t know where he was, then what happened? She decided she needed to know. Thankfully her shift had already ended, she got changed and headed towards his apartment, going there for the first time in five days.

She knocked on the door and waited. No one answered. She knocked again. Same thing. She began to worry. It was possible that he wasn’t home. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if something happened to him and she didn’t help him.

She remembered he gave her the key to his apartment should she ever need it. She figured now was the time.

She opened the door and stepped inside. She took a look around, searching for him. There he was. Laying on the sofa, his hair all over the place, clothes wrinkled, same clothes he wore that day, a few bottles of wine next to the coffee table.

She went to him, calling his name but that didn’t do anything. She sat down next to him. He smelled like alcohol. She shook his arm softly, calling his name again. No reaction.

She began to panic now. She checked his pulse and breathed out in relief, he was probably just drunk. She decided that she couldn’t leave him, she went to the kitchen to make herself some tea and then sat down on the loveseat next to the sofa to keep an eye on him, reading the book she found on his book shelf.

A few hours later he begun stirring. She put a bookmark where she finished reading and kneeled down next to him. He opened his eyes, looking all other her face, his hand raising to touch her cheek softly.

“Am I dreaming?” he whispered, a look of disbelief on his features. She touched his hand and smiled.

“No, you’re looking wide awake to me.” she smiled softly, stroking his forehead with her other hand.

“Wh…can you get me some water?” he asked, throwing his head back and looking at the celling. She nodded and went to fetch it. When she came back he was asleep again. She resumed reading.

Some time later, while she was coming out of the bathroom, she heard a terrifying scream. She broke into sprint, entering the living room and searching for the source of threat.

She saw Ethan, sitting up, no shirt on, sweating like crazy, rocking back and forth, his arms around his knees, tears streaming down his face.

“I’m alone, she’s not here. She never was” he kept on whispering. She felt herself break, tears threatening to spill from her own eyes. She ran to stand next to him, put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, disbelief and relief on his face. He reached out for her, put his arms around her waist and sat her in his lap, burying his face in her hair, taking a deep breath, her scent seemingly calming him.

“You’re not alone. I promise.” she kissed his forehead and put her cheek there, hugging him to her chest. He was still crying, his posture shaking with sobs. After some time he started to calm down.

“Okay. Let’s get you cleaned, I’ll cook something and then we’ll talk, okay?” she leaned back to look into his eyes, brushing back a lock of hair that fell on his forehead with care.

“Okay…” he whispered, standing up and putting her down. He headed towards the bathroom, looking back over his shoulder to make sure she was there and that he didn’t make that up in his head.

When the door to the bathroom closed, she started looking for something to cook for him, deciding on something quick, easy and full of carbs to bring him to the presentable state. When food was ready she made them each a cup of tea and waited. She heard the shower turn off and a few minutes later he was back, looking a lot better except for the fact that he still had this haunted look behind his eyes.

“Claire…I’m…” he started, not really sure what he should say.

“Let’s just eat and we’ll talk later, okay?” she said and sent a small smile in his direction.

They sat down on the couch and ate in silence, stealing looks at each other. It was like they weren’t even dating for the past three months. They finished their food and were sipping their tea.

“So…Harper sort of told me what happened…” she started, sounding insecure.

“What exactly did she tell you?” he asked, not sure if he should be calm because of this or terrified that she screwed up the situation even more. She was here, it couldn’t be that bad, right?

“Well…she didn’t tell me much. Just that she did something, didn’t specify what exactly and that you yelled at her for it. She told me to ask you though.”

“Okay… Let me start by saying that I’m sorry. Really. If I knew what she’d do…” he curled his hands into fists. She put her hands other his.

“Tell me what happened. All of it”

“Harper called me in to ask me about an incident in the parking lot. Apparently that idiot went to her to tell her about it. I told her about how he was harassing you. She insisted that I didn’t need to step in. She didn’t know we were dating so I couldn’t give her a real reason. I told her that I couldn’t stand by and watch my colleague get harassed. She said I didn’t have to be the hero. She kept stepping in my direction, I kept stepping back until I was against the wall. She grabbed my face in her hands, blocking me from doing anything and…you saw the rest. I didn’t want it. If I had known what she’d do, I would have never let her get this close. After you left I told her that she’s my boss and only my boss. I think she finally got it inside her head that we’re through.” he concluded, leaning forward, resting his head in his hands.

“Ethan…why did you not come to the hospital? You were gone for six days. I thought you were avoiding me…” he sat back up, looking at her with a wild look in his eyes.

“No. I could never avoid you. You’re too important to me to do that. I’m sorry if I scared you. It was never my intention to do that. I had to unwind and… it just got out of control. Again, I’m sorry. I hope, I really hope you can forgive me. I don’t know how to cope without you…you saw it yourself.” he said, looking into her eyes, searching for answers, searching to see if there’s any affection left in them.

“You really scared me. When I came in and saw you…you weren’t responding, for a second I thought you were… I’m glad everything is out in the open with Harper. And I’m sorry too. If I let you explain it we’d both not have to suffer. I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot. I understand why you didn’t want to listen to me. I’m just glad that you let me explain myself.”

She looked at him, seeing happiness, relief and something she couldn’t quite name in his eyes. Affection, but stronger, much stronger. She leaned in to hug him tightly, sitting in his lap. His arms went around her, crushing her to his chest, his lips kissing every part they could reach, forehead, cheeks, nose, temple, eyes. Finally, his lips settled on hers, soft kisses saying how much they trust and believe in each other. They separated and their foreheads touched, both grinning like fools. Tears were streaming down her face. He noticed it, a concerned look on his face. He swiped them with his fingers.

“Hey, what is it?” he asked.

“Nothing. Really. I’m just really happy that you are alright. That we are alright. You are my constant. My days are empty and gray without you.” she admitted, her cheeks red.

“Claire, you’re my rock. My lifeboat. I don’t know if I would be able to get through with the whole situation with Naveen without you. You make me want to wake up and get out of bed in the morning. Because I know that I’ll see you. You are very important to me.” he said in a low voice, barely above a whisper.

His eyes were closing despite his best effort. She noticed this.

“You’re tired. So am I. I say we call it night, we have to go to work in the morning.” she smiled, a full of sunshine smile, and took his hands in hers, pulling him towards the bedroom for a nights rest.


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All out in the open, no more secrets.

He woke up the next morning, taking in his surroundings. Claire was still asleep, her head on his chest, their legs intertwined, her hand thrown over his stomach. He smiled. Never would he have thought that a woman like her would want to be with a man like him. He was the luckiest man in the whole world. He run his hand up and down her arm, brushing hair that was there, curling it around his fingers. She stirred, let out a small moan and opened her eyes. Blue met green, both full of light and happiness, smiling at each other. He kissed her forehead.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Morning handsome” she smiled, reaching upwards to kiss him. His arms tightened around her, pulling her on top of him.

“What time is it?”

“6.30 AM. We still got plenty of time.” –he replied, a suggestive smirk on his lips. She slapped him lightly and playfully on his arm and sat up.

“Though I have no objections, we still need to discuss some of the things. I don’t want to leave anything behind only to have it blow up in our faces later on.”

“Okay… what do you want to do with our relationship in the hospital?”

“I honestly don’t know.” she sighted, turning around to look at him. He raised his hand to run it up and down her back, his fingers lingering near the part where her shirt rode up and her skin was visible.

“We’ll figure it out. I won’t let it affect what we have. I promise.”

“I know you won’t. Fine. Let’s go then. We need to get ready.” she ran her hand down his chest teasingly and then quickly stood up and bolted out the door. He fell back against the bed with a groan, covering his face with his arm, grinning, his cheeks flushed.

They got to the hospital. Right before they made their way towards the entrance, he reached his hand and took hers, squeezing her fingers with. She smiled at him brightly and let go of his hand. They separated soon after, going about their day.

Claire was at the nurse’s desk, getting blood test results for her patient when Bryce approached her, a big smile on his face.

“How are you this fine afternoon?”

“Quite fine, thanks” – she smiled back, looking at him briefly and then looking back towards the paper in her hand. He put his hand on her arm to get her attention. She looked up to see him a little closer than she expected.

“I was wondering if you’d like to maybe go to this music festival with me? I have one free ticket.” he said with a smile. She began to answer when she saw Ethan coming down the hall. To say he was walking was an understatement. He was almost running. When he got closer she saw why. Harper was chasing him, a file in her hand, their conversation erratic. They went past her, neither looking in her direction. Or so she thought. Ethan stopped by the wall to finish his conversation. Claire turned to Bryce.

“It sounds like a lot of fun but I’m going to have to decline. Try asking Jackie. I’m sure she’d love to go.” she shot him a smile. His face fell a little, he waved her goodbye and went to join her friends by the wall on the other side of the room. She went back to examining the results in her hand when she saw a pair of shoes in the corner of her eye. She looked up to see Ethan. He was looking at her with determination in his eyes and a glint of mischief. She smiled a little.

“What are you up to, Dr. Ramsey?”

He didn’t answer. She thought that maybe he didn’t hear her so she opened her mouth to ask again when his lips fell on hers, his arms went around her and held her tightly to him. Her eyes opened wide with surprise, but she closed them a second later, getting lost in him. He broke the kiss but didn’t let her go, looking into her eyes with a smile on his face.

“Wha…How…” she had a look of pure shock and horror on her face, looking around, paranoid that someone saw it. There was no way they were not seen. She saw her friends in the corner of her eye, their jaws on the floor. On the other side of the room was Harper Emery, her face unreadable.

“Don’t worry. I thought about it long and hard. You know I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t sure we were safe. You are no longer an intern. You are no longer my student. There is nothing wrong with our relationship. Cheer up, darling.” he kissed her forehead and bent his head forward to look into her eyes. She smiled at him and pecked his lips softly. His arms tightened around her and hugged her to his chest, his head on hers.

“I have to go now, duty calls. See you later? We’ll go eat dinner and then to my apartment, how about that?”

“Sounds perfect. See you later…Ethan.” she smirked at him, pecked his cheek one last time and went around him to face her friends. He stood there for another moment, looked at her departing figure, smiled to himself, then shook his head and went in the opposite direction.

She was nervous. She had no idea what her friends would think of her relationship with Ethan. She approached them, her head down, not looking at them directly. Sienna was the first one to break the silence.

“Did I see that correctly? You managed to break through Dr. Ramsey?” she said with a bright smile on her face, placing her hand on Claire’s shoulder to grab her attention. She looked back in the direction he went, soft smile blooming on her face.

“It would appear so…” she turned towards her friends again.

“When did _that_ start?’ Landry asked, his face unreadable.

“Three months ago. He helped me with… personal problems.” Her posture changed when she remembered the situation he witnessed.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of him. Thank god he did that.” Sienna wrapped her arms around her best friend, knowing what situation she was talking about.

“You guys are okay with this? No comments about it?” Claire had to say, she was surprised. She honestly thought she would have to face her friends accusing her of cheating to get the position. She didn’t, that’s not why they were together, but she knew how it looked.

“Why wouldn’t we be? You two look so in love it hurts. Even if someone wanted to say that this was cheating, there is no denying that you two genuinely want to be together.” Jackie was her biggest concern but she was happy and relieved that her friend was supportive of her relationship.

“You have no idea how relieved I am.” She laughed, hugging them all tightly before all of them going in different directions to check on their patients.

She didn’t see Ethan for the rest of the day, both of them busy. Her friends dragged her to the bar after work, wanting to celebrate and unwind.

They were all dancing. Well, almost all of them. Claire and Bryce were sitting by the table, drinking their drinks slowly and talking.

“So, when did that thing with dr. Ramsey start?” he asked, unsure how to voice his thoughts. She sensed his jealousy in the way he was talking.

“About three months ago. He’s been my best friend and my lifeboat ever since.” She had a lovely smile on her face. He realized that she was gone, there was nothing and no one else for her.

“Well, I am happy for you. Both of you. You are my friend and I want what is best for you. If he makes you happy then I am happy.” He hugged her tightly, smiling widely.

“Thanks, Bryce. I appreciate it.” she leaned back and took a sip of her glass. They resumed their conversation, sitting closely. They were talking him asking Jackie out for that concert, both so engrossed in the conversation they didn’t hear or see the front door opening.

Ethan stepped inside and took a look around the room. He noticed some of his interns dancing and laughing in the middle of the room, but Claire was not among them. His gaze then fell on the booth in the corner. She was sitting there with Bryce, the two close together and deep in the conversation.

He felt a pang of jealousy in his chest, not that he was worried about him making a move on her. He was there when Ethan kissed Claire in the middle of the hospital hall, he knew she was taken. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he went to join them.

Claire felt a light touch on her bare shoulder. Turning around she spotted her boyfriend, looking down at her and offering her a smile.

“Hi! Finally! What took you so long?” she stood up to wrap her arms around him, bringing him close and down to meet him in a kiss. He let out a hum of approval, hugging her to him.

They broke the kiss and turned towards Bryce. Ethan reached his hand out for him to shake, then took a seat next to his girlfriend, throwing his arm around her and hugging her to his side.

“So, how was your day?” the older doctor asked.

“It was fine, a lot of people coming in but nothing extreme, no emergencies. How was the meeting?” she said, referring to the exchange she witnessed earlier that day.

“We had the meeting with Banner Health again… you can imagine how that went.” The corners of his lips went up, thinking about the last time he saw their representatives, taking her with him.

“Oh, joy. I bet you’re glad it’s over, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

Their conversation shifted towards their feelings about the hospital as interns, Ethan wanted to know what Bryce thought so far. The two man found common ground, to her surprise, and were talking freely about a variety of subjects. Bryce was very into the conversation, not seeming to notice anything or anyone else. Ethan, on the other hand, kept on straying his eyes from the surgical intern to the woman beside him, winking at her from time to time, making her laugh.

Jackie walked up to them after some time, extended her hand towards Bryce and dragged him onto the dance floor.

Ethan turned towards Claire, a question in his eyes. She nodded quickly and stood up, not waiting for him, knowing damn well he will follow her. He would follow her anywhere.

His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him, her arms rested on his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his hair. Their foreheads touched, eyes closed and they started swaying from side to side, neither saying anything, getting lost in each other.

There were different people from the hospital there that night. Not everyone got to witness the moment of passion between them that afternoon. There were people who were surprised at the normally closed off and rude doctor acting so affectionally towards someone, let alone towards his colleague.

Ethan and Claire were oblivious to the attention they were getting. The slow song was coming to the end and something faster and fuller of life came on. She started pulling away, knowing that he doesn’t do well with that kind of music, but, to her surprise, he tightened his arms around her and begun dancing with her again, turning her around and moving to the rhythm.

“He dances! And I didn’t even have to beg!” she exclaimed, surprised but impressed by his efforts.

“You like dancing, it makes you happy. I want you to be happy. So, we’re dancing.” His lips met her cheek quickly before returning to their dancing.

He dipped her low and brought her back quickly, which threw her off balance for a second. To steady herself she wrapped one of her legs around his waist, gripping his arms tightly. A smirk appeared on her lips when he realized what she did and how many people had seen that. He leaned close to her and said slowly, his voice low.

“If you wanted to get me alone, you should have just asked.”

He then leaned back and she started laughing. So did he, hugging her close and when the song was done, they both headed back towards the table.

The rest of the night was spent on many toasts, stolen kisses and happy moments.

Ethan never really thought he could have that. He never thought he _deserved_ happiness, let alone that he could one day have a woman in his arms that understood him like no one else, who respected him and who he had so much respect for, who was deadly smart and intelligent. After meeting Claire, he started changing his mind. She showed him that he did have a shot at being happy.

She made him happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it <3  
-P


End file.
